|
|
Three CCHS sophomores qualified for the Minnesota State Alpine ski meet held last week at Giant’s Ridge. Taking part in the championship races were from L-R: Cy Oberholtzer, Kalina Dimatrova and Ray Dressley. Photo courtesy of Gus Hahn
Following tremendous success throughout the regular season, Ray Dressley, Kalina Dimitrova and Cy Oberholzer each qualified for the Minnesota State High School League Alpine State Championship.
The state meet was held on February 16 at Giant’s Ridge Golf and Ski Resort.
Kalina placed 61st out of 88 qualifiers in the girls’ individual race. Duluth’s Lauren Carlson was the individual champion.
In the boys’ race, Cy Oberholtzer placed 20th and Ray Dressley was 80th. Adam Berghult from Edina was the boys’ champion. Andrew Miller from Duluth East was the region’s top finisher with a 12th place.
Ray Dressely crashed on both of his runs. Still, it was an excellent experience for the sophomore, who made a lot of podium finishes this season.
“I was really proud of his attitude,” said Viking Head Coach John Oberholtzer. He really went for it and kept his chin up when it didn’t work out. Ray had a great season, and he will be back.”
As for Cy, he skied two good runs on the challenging Helsinki and Innsbruck slalom courses, navigating the gates and winds that gusted to 25 mph.
“ Kalina, like Ray, went all out,” said Coach Oberholtzer. “I’m very proud of how Ray and Kalina raced.”
The two racecourses were set up to challenge the best 88 ski racers in the state, said Oberholtzer. “The second course, Helsinki, just below the headwall, there was a sharp turn. It took out Ray and several other outstanding skiers. So we called back Cy to let him know it was coming, and that helped him.”
Overall the state meet was a great experience, a lot of fun, said the coach. “The Duluth teams welcomed us and shared a tent with us. There was a BBQ going; it was a carnival experience, just a lot of camaraderie, sharing, and caring for each other.”
All three of the kids that made state this year are sophomores. “I’m really excited for the next ski season,” said Coach Oberholtzer, who is the father of Cy. “We had a lot of kids make tremendous improvements this year. This group of kids was great to work with because they supported each other and helped each other. There was a lot of camaraderie. Genevieve Silence was close to making state this year and I’m excited to see her progress. We have a lot of kids coming back and I can’t wait for next season.”
Leave a Reply